deaf carry

This is a discussion on deaf carry within the Concealed Carry Issues & Discussions forums, part of the Defensive Carry Discussions category; As a rather new and so far non-refundable reality in my life, I am wondering how complete/near complete hearing loss would change things in light ...

deaf carry

As a rather new and so far non-refundable reality in my life, I am wondering how complete/near complete hearing loss would change things in light of carrying. S.A. is more difficult, what a pain, getting to be all eyes. I'm actually looking to eliminate reasons NOT to carry. There are more than enough reasons TO. Permit should be in the mail any day.

I've also lost a lot of my hearing due to being around guns too long(thanks uncle sam)but it doesn't hinder my carrying a bit.I have carried since I first was able to in texas back in 96,You just need to stay alert as always,be aware of whats going on around you and don't walk around with your head in the clouds and it won't be a problem. sj

Naturally, if all of your senses are keen that would be ideal.
We are not perfect people living in a perfect world.
Though I personally am almost (but not quite) perfect.

Seriously, I am sure that you do not consider yourself or your life to be any less valuable because you're hearing impaired.

I'm sure that you still have family and loved ones that would rather that you be alive than not.

Absolutely I would still carry. Carry every day if possible.

I have shooting related Tinnitus. It is like torture sometimes.

So I'll end this post with a plea for all shooters to buy and use the best hearing protection that they can afford. Protect your hearing!!!! It's so important.
You all for sure do not want to end up with 24 hour a day constant ear ringing.

30 years of sirens blaring directly over my head before they finally wised up and made a law mandating siren speakers being mounted down on the vehicle grill has not helped my hearing much at all. Having a gun fired 4 times approx. 5 inches from my ear during a homicide didn't help much either.

There was a thread floating around here when I first joined about a blind guy wanting ccw and you would be surprised how people chose sides on that thread.

Loss of hearing is a far cry from loss of sight, and as far as I'm concerned, loss of hearing... being stone deaf or otherwise, should not preclude someone from carrying a weapon for defensive purposes.

Same standards apply... you are responsible for your own actions. If you make a mistake with your gun attributed to your hearing loss... then you have to be accountable for that mistake. Otherwise, carry on and stay safe by being armed.

QKShooter on buying and using the best hearing protection you can afford. I never go shooting without it!

As with any "disability", we must depend on our remaining "abilities" to pick up the slack.

The loss of any of our “abilities” makes us have to adapt. I have found that those persons who have learned to adapt are somewhat less dependent than those who supposedly have all of there “abilities” and if fact they become more independent!

If you exercise your right then you also need to exercise your responsibilities. Realizing your limitations goes a long way toward those responsibilities. I would much rather have a deaf or blind person running around with a CCW, gun and some sense than some mall-ninjas that only have about one-forth of their brain in gear.

I have a cousin ( hereafter known as Randy ) who is deaf , and tho he does not ccw he does hunt and shoot . We have enjoyed guns together since we were kids .
Rather than address specifically ccw at first i would like to address gun ownership and use being deaf . The main issue is the inability to effectively communicate in the manner the rest of us are used to . In hunting pheasants for instance a normal practice is to walk a line of hunters down a field exactly in line , no out aheads , no laggers . If randy hunts however he will be a few paces back so he can see the entire line , and in return is trusted to be an exceptionally safe hunter in the shots he can take as well as muzzle control . Public ranges are a NO NO for him alone ( he cannot hear when a range is supposed to be safe , and will not trust a stranger to let him know ) . On home defense: his wife is deaf too , and they have a fair nightlight in the bedroom as well as a security system that flashes the bedroom light on and off in a strobe fashon ( a different tempo for an alarm and the door bell ) . However this creates some issues with night vision that he has solved by a " master switch board " in the bedroom to turn on all lights in the house , both internal and external . Now Randy has been deaf since birth and so has difficulty speaking , he has learned somewhat by the " feather method " , but is difficult to understand . If you are deaf or going deaf just accept that you will ( if not now , eventually ) be hard to understand , especially if stressed when speaking . If you are going to carry i strongly suggest a business card sized laminated card in your shirt pocket that says in as large a font as possible " I AM DEAF " . That way if an officer contacts you for any reason much less for having a weapon you hand does not go towards common carry places , and you can establish ground rules to communicate , pull it slowly out , hold it in both hands and wait for him to react . Randy has one for traffic stops alone and does as i just advised along with verbally stating that he is deaf and will need to write to talk ( to hear him say this is to believe it since it is not uncommon for him to need to sign the pen and paper lol ) . Now if you are " fresh" deaf you will have a lot of lifestyle changes hitting you all at once , Its rough because most of us do not realize just how much not hearing changes our world , I know i dont . Situational awareness must become king here , you dont have the luxury of distractions . Queen is a set of " psudo ASL " commands to communicate to your loved ones . You will not be able to sign effectively and do anything else , especially starting out . Visit with your unarmed family about how to do simple things properly , such as meet at the car , or take cover there , and have gestures to impart that need. Learn to recognize cops , its the guy who looks like he is in the army but in civvys , even with a growth of beard, and over all scruffy appearance few if any cops can mimic felons well . The cops personal pride wont allow it lol . a hint is that if you find yourself faceing a fella who is yelling at you and has not shot you yet , it may well be an officer , and its time for that " I AM DEAF CARD " Best of luck to you and yours , sorry my post was long , and if i can be of any help in any manner pm me and ill do my best .

Make sure you get full value out of today , Do something worthwhile, because what you do today will cost you one day off the rest of your life .
We only begin to understand folks after we stop and think .

That is a good idea about the I'm Deaf card. I've run into a few deaf people as an LEO, as we have a large school for the deaf near by. Most carry such a card, and sometimes it takes awhile to figure out what the problem is if they dont. I dont know if its pride or what, but sometimes the just dont want to come out and let you know they are deaf.
With that said, I gave a friend who is deaf and his life is certainly not lacking in any aspect. You may have seen him on TV a few times. He has a CCW, and does just fine with it.

I forgot to add that as I get older, I have noticed some hearing loss too. Its mostly with higher pitched voices. My doctor (who is also my wife) says its selective hearing.